Just as the new Mk8 Volkswagen Golf has been spotted on the road with minimal camouflage, there is confirmation that the new Golf R will not be electrified.

In an article seen on Carscoops, Volkswagen R Division’s boss, Jost Capito has been quoted telling the journalists that the new Golf R that it’s “going to be fantastic” and that it won’t be an hybrid of any sorts.

“The crown jewel of performance in a Golf remains the Golf R. We don’t want to take hybrids to a ridiculous strength. A hybrid needs to be affordable and have an ecological reasoning. It’s not just for performance. The GTE is an alternative choice for a GTI customer, and that will remain. The performance king will remain a Golf R, and the Golf 8 R is going to be fantastic”, Capito remarked.

In the interview, Capito was also quizzed about the rumored Golf R400 which was supposed to a more extreme version of the current Golf R. He confirmed that they did actually test such a model, but eventually killed it.

“We did research and customers don’t want it”, added Capito. “They want around 300 horsepower and a price tag below €50,000 (S$76,700). To move up to 400 horsepower, you’d lose 50% of sales volume and increase the cost of ownership.”

Therefore, it might be possible to imply that the new MK8 Golf R won't be getting that much power too, with a possible 315bhp or so.